Cunha Skate Park Rolling Right Along

“The Hard Flip is the hardest move,” says Jose Lira, sixth grader. “No one does it; it’s too hard.”  The other boys who have gathered nod in agreement. 

But there are plenty of moves that have been mastered at the , located on Kelly Avenue between Cabrillo Highway and Church Street, near the campus in Half Moon Bay.  As one boy puts it, he was recently "working" the new areas of the park and found himself off the ground.  On approaching the Monster Pyramid skateboard structure, or simply The Pyramid, as the boys call it, sixth grader Rudy Bravo exclaims, “I started flying when I rode it!”

This is just some of the chatter outside the Boys & Girls Club, where the spring session of Skate Club will begin on Thursday, March 17.  The kids are ready to hit the Skate Park every Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., until school lets out in mid-June. They will enjoy the older elements of the park, as well as the newest additions: a 5-foot halfpipe, a half pyramid with rail, two new rails, and the impressive 3-foot Monster Pyramid.

The Skate Park is open year-round for community use, thanks to continued efforts and support by three groups:  the (CUSD), the local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club, and the .  And then there are the many other groups and individuals who make it possible.

“I started planning this ten years ago with .  We went to Sunnyvale to look at an existing temporary skateboard park and that turned out to be a parking lot with elements on it.  That seemed easy to do,” says Ed Watkins, Construction Manager for CUSD, of the park.  Watkins has also taken on projects like building and renovating the high school softball field and has worked in construction for CUSD for four years, following 19 years spent as a high school teacher. 

The temporary park, says Watkins, took six months to complete.  With the backing of former CUSD Superintendent of Schools John Bayless, the project went forward immediately.  Consulting with RampTech, a survey of the middle and high schools was done to see how the park should be laid out and what features kids would want.  The space used was the old parking lot near the Cunha tennis courts.  Donors through the Boys & Girls Club secured $160,000 for resealing of the lot and construction.  The City of Half Moon Bay took on the role of supervision, including police patrolling when needed, and insurance. 

“We literally watched a bus drive up with 20-plus kids to use the park," said Watkins, recalling the time the construction of the skate park was complete.  "It became a destination for skaters.”

Things have changed today in how permanent parks, not temporary, draw kids, says Watkins, who has been on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club for 14 years.  Permanent parks are more popular, he says.

“We would have liked a permanent park structure, but that didn’t come about,” says Watkins, claiming such a creation could cost upwards of half a million dollars.  Instead, he said that it was practical to make improvements to the park in 2010, when things had deteriorated to some degree to cause safety concerns.

In stepped those who wanted to see the changes occur.  Michelle Dragony, a mother and skateboarder, worked to fund, develop and install new elements, such as ramps and pyramid structures. Structural changes had to be approved by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.  Drawing up the proper plans alone was an 18-month process. 

A big issue was building and installing a large pyramid using plywood and metal. Dragony solved the problem by obtaining SkateLite sheathing -- a composite material lighter than metal -- through a swap with Generations Church, which involved trading her masonite sheathing for SkateLite. She also paid $1000 to the church to make up for the difference in value.

When an opportunity presented itself for obtaining a half pyramid and five-foot halfpipe at a low $9,000, Dragony could not pass it up.  The condition was “move it yourself,” so Dragony assembled a local crew to travel up to Kentfield in Marin County to retrieve the equipment from a movie star son’s former skate area.  When she arrived there with local business owner Mario Andreini (of Andreini Brothers) and his crane on a big rig, she winced as she was told they could not park the heavy vehicle near the home.

“We unscrewed every screw, lifted everything ourselves, eventually hauled it away, and then reassembled it,” says Dragony, of a process that took four trips back and forth to Kentfield.  “We had taken the long drive and weren’t going to leave empty-handed.”      

In addition to the money she and her husband contributed, Dragony gives a nod to the middle school’s neighbor , whose owners Kris Nishkian and Matt Claudius offer services daily to skaters, including loaning helmets and offering bathroom use.

“They are a huge anchor for the future of the park,” she says of the care Bike Works takes to ensure skaters have a positive experience.  And many others appear on the thank you sign outside of the park, which Skate the Coast, Dragony’s group, has posted. Dragony maintains a Skate the Coast blog, complete with information on the Kelly Avenue renovations.    

Caitlen Giacomino, Program Director of the Girls & Boys Club, debuted the Skate Club last year at Cunha Intermediate School as part of the Community Schools grant program.  This year it is being funded with a grant from Kaiser Permanente. Fifty percent of Skate Club members are in the afterschool program at Boys & Girls Club, with approximately 50 kids using the park daily, according to Giacomino.  Two popular skating instructors, Kellen Martin and Frank Jaurez, have returned for the program.  Giacomino recalls watching them skate when she was in school.

The club has just printed up black logo t-shirts, created by members that say “Be Great, Go Skate”. They will be sold for $15 each in adult sizes and sixth grader Garrett Kennedy sees them as a hot commodity.

“I have to get one of those,” he says.

The first session of Skate Club in the fall focused on filming and photography, with Half Moon Bay company Go Pro donating a head camera that takes video and still shots. 

The Skate Park is open before school, then locked during Cunha class time, from 8:25 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. It reopens after school and is open on weekends and during school breaks.  Helmets are required and elbow and kneepads are highly recommended.  There is no policing by staff, but cameras were recently installed. 

“They help to maintain the most safe environment for students who are nearby,” says Watkins of the cameras.

Giacomino loves seeing kids outside playing and laughing. 

“The park is the nicest it’s been in awhile and we will continue to maintain it, keeping it a positive place and safe for kids,” she says.

In addition to periodic inspections for safety, Watkins reports that the biggest problem at the park isn’t drugs or graffiti, it’s trash. 

“Michelle has taken care of the trash problem incredibly,” says Watkins of Dragony, who spends time weekly collecting garbage and maintaining the grounds.

“Caitlen makes sure we pick up trash before we leave,” says Nick Lucchesi, an eighth-grade veteran of the park and its rules.  He and club members are expected to take responsibility for its maintenance, including occasional painting of the park's elements.

Watkins admits he had misconceptions of skateboarders before starting the Skate Park project years ago. 

“The majority of skaters I’ve known are very respectful,” says Watkins. “I’ve watched them for a long time. They are incredible kids, incredible athletes.”

For more information about the programs and services of the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastside, visit their website. The Skate the Coast blog can be found here. The Kelly Avenue/Cunha Skate Park is accessible daily before 8:25 a.m. and after 3:05 p.m.

Correction 3/21: A correction has been made noting that Dragony obtained SkateLite sheathing through a swap with Generations Church. The original story stated that Dragony obtained SkateLite at a discount.